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Women leaders in Solomon Islands will have a chance to network and learn new skills after the launch of a new association aimed at promoting equal opportunities for women. It is hoped the Solomon Islands Professional Women's Network will also drive economic growth and reduce poverty. Amy Luinstra of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which has helped launch the initiative, said the network will help women build their skills and develop tools for recruiting, retaining and promoting women employees.

While the new six-year South Pacific Tuna Treaty does not appear to provide any special recognition or benefits to the American Samoa’s tuna industry, Commerce Department Director Keniseli Lafaele says the Treaty is a way forward and the territory hopes to find opportunities under the Treaty that will benefit American Samoa. Lafaele is also hopeful that the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump will concentrate more on finding ways for the locally based US flag boats to compete in the global tuna industry.

Despite being opposed by a platoon of Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. officials and staff, the Senate unanimously passed yesterday a bill that re-establishes a politically appointed board of trustees to govern and manage the functions of the corporation. After extensive discussions that lasted near 8pm last night, the CNMI Senate passed HB 19-185, HD1. The bill now goes to Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres for his signature.

The Director of Immigration, Nemani Vuniwaqa, has shed light on why Canadian national Karen Seaton was deported last Friday. Mr Vuniwaqa confirmed Ms Seaton was deported after she breached the terms of her residency permit by yelling an obscenity at the President Jioji Konrote during one of his official engagements last Wednesday. "This unprovoked use of the "F word" directed towards Fiji's Head of State cannot be tolerated and Karen Seaton was subsequently detained and escorted on to a plane bound for the US," Mr Vuniwaqa said.

There is a call for a two year ban on fishing for bluefin tuna before this week's meeting in Nadi of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. The environment advocacy group, the Pew Charitable Trusts, said independent surveys show fishing has depleted bluefin stocks to just 2.7 percent of the levels that existed before the advent of commercial fishing.

"Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of tailings from the Grasberg mine end up in the Indonesian province’s Aikwa delta system every day, which the Kamoro tribe say is destroying the landscape on which they rely for food and trade."

Samoa's prime minister has praised the work of Samoa's Fa'afafine Association saying the so-called third gender should be treated equally. The association has held a one day consultation on human rights as part of this year's Faafafine Association week. Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi told the forum all people are the same in the eyes of God and that every person should be treated fairly and equally.

With possible changes looming in the federal government, through the new administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has called on his cabinet to be prepared for any impending federal changes that will trickle down to American Samoa, impacting the local government. Speaking at last Friday’s cabinet meeting, Lolo told directors that with the change of federal administration looming next month, it means any changes made in Washington D.C. would trickle down to American Samoa.

Former One Cook Islands Party and Member of Parliament Teina Bishop was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment at the Cook Islands High Court yesterday. The sentencing decision, passed by the Court of Appeal through Justice Sir Ian Barker, Justice Robert Fisher and Justice Barry Paterson, was read out by Chief Justice Hugh Williams. Bishop was charged with corruption as a Minister for the Crown and found guilty by 11 jurors in August this year. He was sentenced to two years and four months’ imprisonment by Justice Colin Doherty.

France's National Front says France should assume full responsibility for the nuclear weapons tests in the South Pacific and settle claims with a lump sum payment. The party's deputy leader Louis Aliot told media in Tahiti that the chapter needed to be closed in the best possible manner. Mr Aliot, who was on an overseas territories tour to promote the party's presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, also said independence wasn't viable for French Polynesia which he said needs the protection of France.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.